This is a list of Standard English collective nouns. The large number of collective nouns in English is based on a tradition of venery which arose in the Late Middle Ages.
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z See also References |
Standard terms for particular groups are listed first in each group and shown in bold.
| Subject | Collective Noun | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | |||
| alligators | congregation | ||
| antelope | herd | ||
| ants | army | ||
| bike | |||
| colony | |||
| nest | |||
| swarm | |||
| apes | shrewdness | ||
| troop | |||
| asses | herd | ||
| coffle | a roped line | ||
| drove | driven in a group | ||
| pace or passe | |||
| auks | colony | on land | |
| flock | at sea | ||
| raft | on water | ||
| avocets | colony | ||
| B | |||
| baboons | troop | ||
| badgers | cete | ||
| colony | |||
| barbels | shoal | ||
| bats | cloud | ||
| colony | |||
| bears | sleuth or sloth | ||
| beavers | colony | ||
| family | |||
| bees | swarm | ||
| colony | |||
| erst | |||
| grist | |||
| birds | flock | ||
| dissimulation | fanciful | ||
| fleet | |||
| flight | |||
| parcel | |||
| pod | |||
| volary | in an aviary | ||
| bishops | bench | ||
| bison | herd | ||
| bitterns | sedge or sege | ||
| siege | |||
| boars (male pigs) | herd | See also hogs, pigs, swine | |
| singular | |||
| boars (wild boars) | sounder | 12 or more | |
| boys | blush | ||
| buffalo | herd | ||
| gang | |||
| bullfinches | bellowing | ||
| bullocks | drove | driven in a group | |
| bursars | cheat | ||
| bustards | flock | ||
| butlers | draught | ||
| butterflies | flight | ||
| rabble | |||
| buzzards | wake | ||
| C | |||
| capercaillie | tok | ||
| capons | mews | ||
| caribou | herd | ||
| cats | clowder | ||
| cluster or clutter | |||
| glaring | |||
| pounce | |||
| cats (wild cats) | destruction | ||
| caterpillars | army | ||
| cattle | herd | ||
| drove | |||
| chickens | brood | ||
| clutch | |||
| peep | |||
| choughs | chattering or clattering | ||
| civil servants | file | ||
| cobblers | drunkenship or drunkship | ||
| colts | rag | ||
| rake | |||
| cormorants | gulp | ||
| cooks | hastiness | ||
| coots | covert | ||
| coyotes | pack | ||
| cranes | herd | ||
| sedge or sege | |||
| crocodiles | bask | ||
| float | |||
| crows | murder | ||
| curlews | herd | ||
| D | |||
| deer | herd | ||
| bunch | |||
| mob | |||
| parcel | |||
| rangale | |||
| dogs | pack | ||
| dogfish | troop | ||
| dolphins | pod | ||
| school | |||
| team | |||
| dotterel | trip | ||
| doves | dole or dule | fanciful | |
| flight | |||
| piteousness | fanciful | ||
| ducks | flock | ||
| badling | |||
| brace | |||
| bunch | on water | ||
| paddling | on water | ||
| plump | |||
| raft | on water | ||
| skein | in flight | ||
| sord or sore | |||
| string | in flight | ||
| team | in flight | ||
| waddling | |||
| dunlins | fling | ||
| E | |||
| eagles | convocation | ||
| eels | bed | ||
| swarm | |||
| elephants | herd | ||
| elk | gang | ||
| F | |||
| ferrets | business | corruption over time of 'busyness' | |
| busyness | |||
| fesnyng | |||
| finches | charm or chirm | ||
| fish | school | ||
| shoal | |||
| flamingoes | stand | ||
| flies | business | ||
| cloud | |||
| swarm | |||
| foresters | stalk | ||
| foxes | leash | ||
| skulk | |||
| frogs | army | ||
| G | |||
| geese | flock | on land | |
| gaggle | on land | ||
| plump | flying close | ||
| skein | in flight | ||
| team | in flight | ||
| wedge | in flight | ||
| giraffes | herd | ||
| corps | |||
| tower | |||
| gnats | cloud | ||
| horde | |||
| rabble | |||
| swarm | |||
| goats | flock | ||
| herd | |||
| tribe | |||
| trip or trippe | |||
| gods | pantheon | See Pantheon | |
| goldfinches | charm | ||
| goosanders | dopping | ||
| gorillas | band | ||
| whoop | |||
| goshawks | flight | ||
| grasshoppers | cloud | ||
| swarm | |||
| grouse | covey | ||
| pack | |||
| guineafowl | rasp | ||
| H | |||
| hares | down | ||
| drove | |||
| flick | |||
| husk | |||
| hawks | boil | two or more spiralling in flight | |
| cast | |||
| kettle | flying in large numbers | ||
| lease | |||
| harts | herd | ||
| hedgehogs | array | ||
| herons | sedge or sege | ||
| siege | |||
| hermits | observance | ||
| hippopotamuses | bloat | ||
| hogs | parcel | See also boars, pigs, swine | |
| horses | team | in harness | |
| band | |||
| haras or harrase | |||
| herd | |||
| stable | |||
| string | |||
| stud | |||
| hounds | pack | ||
| cry | |||
| hunt | |||
| meet | |||
| mute | |||
| stable | |||
| hyenas | cackle | ||
| I | |||
| ibex | herd | ||
| ibises | colony | ||
| iguanas | mess | ||
| insects | flight | ||
| horde | |||
| plague | |||
| rabble | |||
| swarm | |||
| J | |||
| jackdaws | train | ||
| jays | band | ||
| party | |||
| scold | |||
| jellyfish | fluther | ||
| smack | |||
| K | |||
| kangaroos | mob | ||
| troop | |||
| L | |||
| lapwings | deceit or desert | ||
| larks | bevy | ||
| exaltation | |||
| leopards | leap or lepe | ||
| lions | pride | ||
| sawt | |||
| M | |||
| mackerel | shoal | ||
| magpies | charm | ||
| congregation | |||
| gulp | |||
| murder | |||
| tiding | |||
| tittering | |||
| mallard | brace | ||
| flush | |||
| puddling | |||
| sord | |||
| suit or sute | |||
| mares | stud | ||
| martens | richesse or richness | ||
| mice | nest | ||
| trip | |||
| minnows | shoal | ||
| moles | company | ||
| labor or labour | |||
| monkeys | barrel | ||
| cartload | |||
| tribe | |||
| troop | |||
| wilderness | |||
| moorhens | plump | ||
| moose | herd | ||
| mosquitoes | scourge | ||
| mudhens | fleet | ||
| mules | barren | ||
| pack | |||
| rake | |||
| span | |||
| N | |||
| nightingales | watch | ||
| nuns | superfluity | ||
| O | |||
| owls | parliament | ||
| oxen | drove | ||
| team | |||
| yoke | |||
| P | |||
| parrots | company | ||
| pandemonium | |||
| partridges | covey | ||
| peacocks | muster | ||
| ostentation | |||
| pride | |||
| pelicans | pod | ||
| pheasants | bouquet | ||
| head | |||
| nest | |||
| nide | |||
| nye | |||
| pigs | drift | See also boars, hogs, swine | |
| drove | |||
| pipers | poverty | ||
| pigeons | kit | flying together | |
| plovers | congregation | ||
| stand | |||
| wing | |||
| Q | |||
| quail | bevy | ||
| covey | |||
| drift | |||
| R | |||
| raccoons | gaze | ||
| ravens | unkindness | ||
| rhinoceroses | crash | ||
| rooks | building | ||
| parliament | |||
| S | |||
| salmon | bind | ||
| draught | |||
| run | |||
| sandpipers | fling | ||
| seals | herd | ||
| pod | |||
| rookery | |||
| sheep | flock | ||
| down | |||
| drift | when driven in a group | ||
| drove | when driven in a group | ||
| herd | |||
| hurtle | |||
| meinie | |||
| mob | |||
| parcel | |||
| trip | |||
| sheldrake | dopping | ||
| snails | escargatoire | ||
| rout | |||
| walk | |||
| snakes | bed | ||
| den | |||
| knot | |||
| nest | |||
| pit | |||
| snipe | walk | ||
| whisp or wisp | |||
| sparrows | host | ||
| meinie | |||
| tribe | |||
| spiders | cluster or clutter | ||
| squirrels | colony | ||
| dray | |||
| scurry | |||
| starlings | chattering | ||
| clattering | |||
| cloud | |||
| congregation | |||
| murmuration | |||
| stoats | pack | ||
| trip | |||
| storks | flight | ||
| mustering | |||
| phalanx | when migrating | ||
| swallows | flight | ||
| gulp | |||
| swans | bank | on the ground | |
| bevy | |||
| drift | |||
| eyrar | |||
| flight | |||
| game | |||
| herd | |||
| lamentation | fanciful | ||
| sownder | |||
| team | |||
| wedge | in flight | ||
| whiting | |||
| swifts | flock | ||
| scream | |||
| swine | doylt | See also boars, hogs, pigs | |
| drift | |||
| trip | |||
| T | |||
| teal | spring | ||
| tigers | ambush | ||
| streak | |||
| toads | knot | ||
| nest | |||
| trout | hover | ||
| turkeys | gang | ||
| rafter | |||
| turtles | bale | ||
| dole | |||
| nest | |||
| turtle doves | dole or dule | ||
| pitying | |||
| U | |||
| V | |||
| vipers | nest | ||
| W | |||
| walruses | herd | ||
| pod | |||
| waterfowl | bunch | ||
| knob | |||
| raft | |||
| weasels | colony | ||
| pack | |||
| whales | gam | ||
| herd | |||
| mob | |||
| pod | |||
| wigeons | company | ||
| trip | |||
| wildfowl | bunch | ||
| knob | fewer than 30 | ||
| plump | |||
| trip | |||
| wolves | pack | ||
| rout or route | when in movement | ||
| woodcocks | fall | ||
| woodpeckers | descent | ||
| wrens | herd | ||
| X | |||
| Y | |||
| Z | |||
| zebras | herd | ||
| cohort | |||
| zeal |
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Top A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z See also References |
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, collective and/or nouns:
“Modern tourist guides have helped raised tourist expectations. And they have provided the natives—from Kaiser Wilhelm down to the villagers of Chichacestenango—with a detailed and itemized list of what is expected of them and when. These are the up-to- date scripts for actors on the tourists’ stage.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)
“All is possible,
Who so list believe;
Trust therefore first, and after preve,
As men wed ladies by license and leave,
All is possible.”
—Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503?–1542)
“Speed is good only when wisdom leads the way. The end of this journey, whether to the high horizons of hope or the depths of destruction, will be determined by the collective wisdom of the people who live on this shrinking planet.”
—James Poe (1921–1980)
“All the facts of nature are nouns of the intellect, and make the grammar of the eternal language. Every word has a double, treble or centuple use and meaning.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)